Ninebark. A lovely native shrub, that should be planted more often where there is a need for a large shrub. Grows well, is tough, handles drought, and it attracts pollinators. Photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.
Images
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Physocarpus%20opulifolius%2C%20Ninebark%2C%20flower%20inflorescence%2C%20Green%20Farmacy%20Garden%2C%20Howard%20Co%2C%20Md%2C%20H%20Metzman_2018-06-20-20.43.26%20ZS%20PMax%20UDR.jpg?itok=KgFnsq28)
Ninebark. A lovely native shrub, that should be planted more often where there is a need for a large shrub. Grows well, is tough, handles drought, and it attracts pollinators. Photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman.
If you are a bumble bee (how fascinating if you were...) this fly would be your worst nightmare. You be flying along, warmed by the sun as you joyfully gathered pollen and nectar from flowers, then Wham, this fly, about half your size, would latch onto you and with the tip of its abdomen force itself between your abdominal segments and insert its egg.
If you are a bumble bee (how fascinating if you were...) this fly would be your worst nightmare. You be flying along, warmed by the sun as you joyfully gathered pollen and nectar from flowers, then Wham, this fly, about half your size, would latch onto you and with the tip of its abdomen force itself between your abdominal segments and insert its egg.
If you are a bumble bee (how fascinating if you were...) this fly would be your worst nightmare. You be flying along, warmed by the sun as you joyfully gathered pollen and nectar from flowers, then Wham, this fly, about half your size, would latch onto you and with the tip of its abdomen force itself between your abdominal segments and insert its egg.
If you are a bumble bee (how fascinating if you were...) this fly would be your worst nightmare. You be flying along, warmed by the sun as you joyfully gathered pollen and nectar from flowers, then Wham, this fly, about half your size, would latch onto you and with the tip of its abdomen force itself between your abdominal segments and insert its egg.
If you are a bumble bee (how fascinating if you were...) this fly would be your worst nightmare. You be flying along, warmed by the sun as you joyfully gathered pollen and nectar from flowers, then Wham, this fly, about half your size, would latch onto you and with the tip of its abdomen force itself between your abdominal segments and insert its egg.
If you are a bumble bee (how fascinating if you were...) this fly would be your worst nightmare. You be flying along, warmed by the sun as you joyfully gathered pollen and nectar from flowers, then Wham, this fly, about half your size, would latch onto you and with the tip of its abdomen force itself between your abdominal segments and insert its egg.
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Phytolacca%20americana%202%2C%20Pokeweed%20flowers%2C%20Howard%20County%2C%20MD%2C%20Helen%20Lowe%20Metzman_2017-09-13-17.57.jpg?itok=nVkMa6Ia)
Pokeweed. Spring greens to many southerners ... at least in the old days. I still eat some if I have my act together when they are growing (look up how to prep them). This is a beautiful plant, and should be a feature in any garden that has room.
Pokeweed. Spring greens to many southerners ... at least in the old days. I still eat some if I have my act together when they are growing (look up how to prep them). This is a beautiful plant, and should be a feature in any garden that has room.
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Phytolacca%20americana%2C%20Pokeweed%20flowers%2C%20Howard%20County%2C%20MD%2C%20Helen%20Lowe%20Metzman_2017-09-13-18.05.jpg?itok=LhSlw6tB)
Pokeweed. Spring greens to many southerners ... at least in the old days. I still eat some if I have my act together when they are growing (look up how to prep them). This is a beautiful plant, and should be a feature in any garden that has room.
Pokeweed. Spring greens to many southerners ... at least in the old days. I still eat some if I have my act together when they are growing (look up how to prep them). This is a beautiful plant, and should be a feature in any garden that has room.
Gall on Pin Oak, October, 2012, Prince George's County, Maryland
Gall on Pin Oak, October, 2012, Prince George's County, Maryland
The MinimalI study the lives on a leaf: the littleSleepers, numb nudgers in cold dimensions,Beetles in caves, newts, stone-deaf fishes,Lice tethered to long limp subterranean weeds,Squirmers in bogs,And bacterial creepersWriggling through woundsLike elvers in ponds,Their wan mouths kissing the warm sutures,Cleaning and caressing,Creeping and healing.
The MinimalI study the lives on a leaf: the littleSleepers, numb nudgers in cold dimensions,Beetles in caves, newts, stone-deaf fishes,Lice tethered to long limp subterranean weeds,Squirmers in bogs,And bacterial creepersWriggling through woundsLike elvers in ponds,Their wan mouths kissing the warm sutures,Cleaning and caressing,Creeping and healing.
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Plananthera%20lacera%207%2C%20Green-fringed%20Orchid%2C%20PWRC%2C%20Helen%20Lowe%20Metzman_2019-10-23-21.10.36%20ZS%20PMax%20UDR.jpg?itok=PYYAhfje)
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.
The bug that is everywhere. Lygus lineolaris - The bug that is everywhere. Hard to escape this tiny sap sucking bug, ubiquitous in the East, and pesty in many cases, not given much love, but like all insects it owns and wears its colors well. Here at 10x you can see right into the omatidia that make up the eyes and appreciate a good design when you see one.
The bug that is everywhere. Lygus lineolaris - The bug that is everywhere. Hard to escape this tiny sap sucking bug, ubiquitous in the East, and pesty in many cases, not given much love, but like all insects it owns and wears its colors well. Here at 10x you can see right into the omatidia that make up the eyes and appreciate a good design when you see one.
Possibly Merocoris distinctus...can any one confirm? Photographed by Dejen Mengis
Possibly Merocoris distinctus...can any one confirm? Photographed by Dejen Mengis
Possibly Merocoris distinctus...can any one confirm? Photographed by Dejen Mengis
Possibly Merocoris distinctus...can any one confirm? Photographed by Dejen Mengis
Probably Ormenoides venusta
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Plantanus%20occidentalis%2C%202%2C%20American%20staminate%20flr.%2C%20Howard%20County%2C%20Md%2C%20_2018-05-17-20.31.51%20ZS.jpg?itok=Zp68JMZr)
American Sycamore - Seedball - Green! Specimen and picture by Helen Lowe Metzman.
American Sycamore - Seedball - Green! Specimen and picture by Helen Lowe Metzman.
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Plantanus%20occidentalis%2C%20American%20Sycamore%2C%20flr.%2C%20Howard%20County%2C%20Md%2C%20_2018-05-17-20.38.05%20ZS.jpg?itok=1skxlmxi)
American Sycamore - Seedball - Green! Specimen and picture by Helen Lowe Metzman.
American Sycamore - Seedball - Green! Specimen and picture by Helen Lowe Metzman.
Rhynchomitra microrhina, the lovely and colorful front end of the this lovely and colorful long-nosed Dictyopharid planthopper. It appears to feed on grasses and joins the huge world of native plant driven biodiversity. Can you buy a Rhynchomitramicrorhina at the big box store?
Rhynchomitra microrhina, the lovely and colorful front end of the this lovely and colorful long-nosed Dictyopharid planthopper. It appears to feed on grasses and joins the huge world of native plant driven biodiversity. Can you buy a Rhynchomitramicrorhina at the big box store?
Rhynchomitra microrhina, the lovely and colorful front end of the this lovely and colorful long-nosed Dictyopharid planthopper. It appears to feed on grasses and joins the huge world of native plant driven biodiversity. Can you buy a Rhynchomitra microrhina at the big box store?
Rhynchomitra microrhina, the lovely and colorful front end of the this lovely and colorful long-nosed Dictyopharid planthopper. It appears to feed on grasses and joins the huge world of native plant driven biodiversity. Can you buy a Rhynchomitra microrhina at the big box store?
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Platanthera%20lacera%202%2C%20Green-fringed%20Orchid%2C%20PWRC%2C%20Helen%20Lowe%20Metzman_2019-10-23-21.14.04%20ZS%20PMax%20UDR.jpg?itok=HP-tcXFq)
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Platanthera%20lacera%203%2C%20Green-fringed%20Orchid%2C%20PWRC%2C%20Helen%20Lowe%20Metzman_2019-10-23-21.17.54%20ZS%20PMax%20UDR.jpg?itok=RQv4bt5F)
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Platanthera%20lacera%204%2C%20Green-fringed%20Orchid%2C%20PWRC%2C%20Helen%20Lowe%20Metzman_2019-10-23-21.22.42%20ZS%20PMax%20UDR.jpg?itok=c4XYD3Fq)
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.
![close up of image](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/Platanthera%20lacera%205%2C%20Green-fringed%20Orchid%2C%20PWRC%2C%20Helen%20Lowe%20Metzman_2019-10-23-21.31.46%20ZS%20PMax%20UDR.jpg?itok=nxu6AX9b)
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.
Who doesn't like an orchid? This is green-fringed orchid, found at the edge of the USGS Bee Lab's grounds near some woods. Nice to see this uncommon species. Planathera lacera. Photo and specimen collected by Helen Lowe Metzman.